"I can't breathe": A call for antiracist nursing practice

Dr. Kara Koschmann graduated from the School of Nursing's PhD Program in May of 2020. Her dissertation study was titled, Urban, Low-Income, African American Well-Child Care: Parent and Provider Experiences and Expectations. As a PhD student, she was a Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation Future of Nursing Scholar; in this prestigious program, Dr. Koschmann attended an annual RWJ Foundation summer institute where she worked collaboratively with other Future of Nursing Scholars and nurse leaders.

After the death of George Floyd, Dr. Koschmann contacted several of her RWJF scholar colleagues and they made plans to develop a manuscript about using an antiracist approach to nursing practice. In early June, the American Academy of Nursing released their statement titled, Racism Affects Health and Wellness and It Must Be Addressed. Dr. Casey Hooke, Kara's advisor, suggested that the group send an inquiry to, Nursing Outlook, the journal of the American Academy of Nursing. The journal was interested in their manuscript and the group, led by Dr. Koschmann, quickly prepared their manuscript. The manuscript, “I Can’t Breathe”: A Call for Antiracist Nursing Practice" by Koschman, Jeffers, & Heidari was accepted by Nursing Outlook and was posted online as an early release on August 15th.

Dr. Koschmann, Ph.D., APRN, CPNP-PC is currently an Assistant Professor, at St. Catherine's University is director of the BSN-DNP NP Program.